Japan’s largest bus terminal opens in Shinjuku

Bussing to and from the bustling Shinjuku area is going to be a breeze when Japan’s largest and busiest bus terminal opens Monday, 4th April. Buster Shinjuku, Tokyo’s spanking new gateway bus terminal, will serve as a central arrival and departure point for almost all bus services that have operations in Shinjuku.

Until now, the 19 bus stops that operate as express bus terminals have been scattered over a wide area around the Shinjuku West Exit district, dependent on operator and route, making navigating the bus network a bewildering and time-costly affair for the uninitiated, especially when transfers are involved.

Buster Shinjuku will eliminate many of these problems. Directly connected to the ticketing gates of the JR Shinjuku New South Gate Exit, parallel the Southern Terrace Gate and Takashimaya Times Square, the new terminal is meant to reduce the time needed to change express buses.

Almost all Shinjuku-based bus services will be relocated to Buster Shinjuku once construction is completed, including Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal, Willer Bus Terminal Shinjuku West Exit, the bus stop in front of the shopping complex Odakyu HALC, and Shinjuku Station West Exit Bus Terminal.

Passengers catching the bus to the airport can hop on at the limousine bus stop either in front of Keio Department Store Shinjuku or at Buster Shinjuku, and a Tokyo Tourist Information Center will also be located on the third floor of Buster Shinjuku, providing tourist information in English, Chinese and Korean, not forgetting other services such as home deliveries, currency exchange, ticket sales and free Wi-Fi.

Please note: Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal will still be used for certain routes. Passengers will also have to walk a bit farther when transferring to or from lines such as the Seibu Shinjuku and Marunouchi Line of the Tokyo Metro.

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